Exploring the Geologic History of Wisconsin's Driftless Area

media release: The Morrill Lecture Series:

The landscape of Southwest Wisconsin, along with northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and northwest Illinois, comprise a topographic region known as the Driftless Area. This approximately 24,000 square-mile area escaped glaciation during the last glacial advance of the past 26,000 years. Because of this, the area includes a topography that is uniquely different from the surrounding glaciated landscapes. It is an area characterized by a rugged terrane that includes narrow flat-topped ridges, steep rocky hillsides, and dissected valleys that contain abundant cold-water springs and well-developed stream networks.

During this talk, Dr. Emerson will share the story of the Driftless – what lies beneath this beautiful and unique region and how it came to be.